Missing Woman Found Dead After Car Falls into Fifty Foot Ravine

EARLY, TX -- A missing early woman was found dead by state troopers after she crashed her truck causing her to fall into a ravine. 

On June 8, a Trooper with the Texas Department of Public Safety was working traffic on US 377 when the trooper noticed tire tracks in the ditch near FM 45. 

The trooper then investigated and found a ford ranger in a large ravine. The trooper also noticed a body outside of the truck. When the trooper went to check the person he quickly realized that the person was deceased. 

According to the DPS, the vehicle was traveling northwest on FM 34 when the vehicle crossed 377 striking an embankment. The vehicle rode the embankment for 80 feet hitting several trees and a fence along the way. Then the vehicle fell 47 feet into a ravine where it landed on a large boulder. 

The woman has been identified as 38-year-old Elsie Ripple from Early. Ripple had been reported missing for several days. 

DPS discovered the crash at around 4:15 p.m., but the time of the crash is still unknown.